Objective: This study examined the reciprocal relationship between alliance and symptoms during treatment for patients with eating disorders (ED).
Methods: Ninety one patients with EDs received inpatient cognitive-behavioral therapy treatment over 14 weeks. The study used repeated measurements during treatment and collected alliance and symptom measures. The analysis separated the effects of alliance and symptoms into between- and within-patient effects in a multilevel analysis.
Results: The results show a reciprocal relationship with between-patient alliance predicting ED symptoms and between-patient ED symptoms predicting alliance the subsequent weeks. However, for within-patient effects only alliance predicted ED symptoms the subsequent week.
Discussion: The results nuance the effect of the alliance in this patient group, and paint a complex picture of alliance in the psychotherapy process.
Keywords: alliance; eating disorder; inpatient; process research.
© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.